Amongst the most iconic watches and designs, the triple register mechanical chronograph sits in the center room of the horological Pantheon. More specifically the Omega Speedmaster which is seen by many as being one of the few “must have” watches in anyone’s collections. That is so thanks to its monochromatic color scheme, the balanced placement of the sub-registers, and the otherwise simple layout of the dial. The Speedmaster isn’t as fancy looking as a Rolex Daytona or Zenith El Primero, and perhaps that is why so many enthusiasts and collectors appreciate it as much. (The simpler, the more timeless.) It is the tool watch for cool kids even more so than Paul Newman’s Daytona. And while Omega updates the Speedmaster on a somewhat regular basis, its essence and awe-factor do not wither with time. That is what makes anything into a classic or an icon. 

But—and there is always a but—the “must have” Speedmaster is the Moonwatch Professional and this baby will set you back $7,000-$8,000 on the bracelet. That is more money than some of you might want to spend on a useless object and that is definitely at least four times more than what I ever wish to spend on a watch. (I’ll let you do the math to figure out my maximum per-watch purchasing budget.) That’s when and where micro and independent brands come in to fill a massive gap in the horological market—that of the more attainable but equally satisfying well-built and thoughtfully designed tool watches. Which is why in this article we’re going to take a look at a new brand (for us) and their latest release: the HTD Hesagraph MKII Variante B. A full-fledged mechanical chronograph that will set you back roughly $1,630 USD (excluding taxes.) 

That is 4.3 times less than the Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch Professional. 

Specifications

We should never judge a watch by its complication-to-price ratio because we can get high-accurary chronograph movements and well-built watches for less money than what the big brands ask. One just has to know where to look to get the good stuff at reasonable prices. In other words, we shouldn’t assume that the HTD Hesagraph MKII Variante B (“Hesagraph” for short) will be less accurate or of lesser quality because it has a full-fledged mechanical chronograph for at least four times less than the Moonwatch Professional. (Yes, in Omega’s price the brand has built-in the costs of running its own manufactures, having hundreds of employees, and having heritage. But you get my point.) Which is why the Hesagraph immediately appeared interesting to me for having a Swiss made Sellita SW510M manual-wind chronograph movement which ticks at 4Hz and has a power reserve of 56 hours. 

The SW510M is indeed a full mechanical chronograph caliber with a running seconds sub-register at the 9, a 30-minute totalizer at the 3, and a 12-hour totalizer at the 6. That is to me already quite an impressive spec to have for $1,600. But the goodness continues. The case measures 39mm in diameter, 48mm lug-to-lug, and a reasonable 12.4mm in total thickness which is good, according to the horological wisdom, for this type of movement. Of course, we have to keep in mind that the Hesagraph has a manual-wind caliber which is de facto thinner than an automatic one and that, as you probably expect, it doesn’t have Rolex Deepsea-level of water resistance. Indeed, it comes with a decent 50 meters which is also good here. The crystal is a curved, top-hat piece of sapphire and there is lume on the hands and on the minute track. 

There is a point I want to make about the bracelet and clasp. The bracelet has a standard three-link construction with screwed links, no quick-release spring-bars (horror!) and the clasp is small with four holes of micro-adjustments. I for one am so glad HTD opted for this type of clasp as it makes the watch more comfortable to wear and that for two reasons: (1) it offsets the dimensions and weight of the watch head; (2) being thin and simple it is lighter unlike modern clasps which are equipped with the coveted and over-hyped on-the-fly micro-adjustment system. Hot take? I don’t care. 

Design

When I saw a first photo of the HTD Hesagraph MKII, I was immediately charmed by its classic appearance and I thought to myself “Thanks the heavens for HTD made a normal looking tool watch.” I thought so because I’m getting tired of seeing brands trying so hard to constantly reinvent the wheel and justify creating bizarre watches for the sake of being the “first” at doing something new. The first at painting pizza slices on a chronograph, the first to use a rare otherworldly stone, the first to make bio-ceramic cases, the first to make invisible dials, the first to use snail spit to glue applied markers onto a silkworm leather skin dial. (Ok, I went too far on the last one but you get my point.) In other words, I got tired of seeing weird shit being made in the name of creativity alone as in my (selfish) view what is bizarre isn’t timeless. 

No, that doesn’t work for me and this is why the Hesaprah is a comfy and familiar breath of fresh air in an otherwise weird horological design period. 

So, what do we have here? First and foremost, there are two versions of the Hesagraph MKII. First, the Variante B we’re looking at today (black dial and tri-compax configuration) and second, the Cannoli which has a cream dial and a bi-compax layout. Both models are priced the same and are almost identical. I opted to review the Variante B for it is the one which looks the most classic of the two and therefore the one which worked best for my introduction. (*Feeling egocentric for a moment.) So, pencil-style hour and minute hands, lumed and polished, a chronograph hand with a lumed arrow-shaped type, also lumed, and three sub-registers with matte white backgrounds, black printed numerals and hash-marks (except for three red ones on the 30-minute totalizer,) and fully polished hands. I love how the sub-registers pop compared to the black sunburst dial which appears brown at some angles. 

Sometimes I point out how fortunate it is when watches, which come with busy dials, have simple cases as the latter offsets the intensity of the former. Here, the medium-level intricacity of the dial layout is complemented by a semi-complex case design which I feel is genius. The case indeed has a personality of its own but not too much of it, for having an elongated profile with a gently curved lower section—which appears almost straight—massive lugs with turn out to be wide chamfers and which metaphorically keep the bezel in place (the highest point of the lugs almost reaches the angled mid-section of the bezel,) and slab-sided flanks. The case is fully polished and therefore commands a noticeable wrist presence. Conversely, the majority of the bracelet is brushed except for the outside portions of the outer links which are polished, which renders the latter subtle which is perfect here. 

The Heart of the Matter

I often wonder how much “watch” we can realistically get for our money? Or how much do we have to sacrifice in order to have a watch equipped with the same functionality as that found on luxurious Swiss tool watches but for four times less money? Over the decades of horological marketing and propaganda, we have been conditioned to believe that we always have to pay more than we want (or feel comfortable to) in order to get a really nice watch. (You know, the proper heirloom pieces we can pass on through the generations.) But the expansion of the micro and independent watch market of the past decade has proven that we can get something really good, actually functional, and well-made for much less money. And I for one believe that the HTD Hesagraph MKII Variante B and Cannoli prove that.

Before handling this model, I couldn’t understand the allure of full-fledged mechanical chronographs but today, I can. Whilst I won’t pretend to be the French incarnation of Paul Newman or to now have a rightful place by the racetrack wearing the Hesagraph, I get the fascination many of you have for mechanical chronographs, their history, intended uses, and their visual and practical versatility. As silly as it may sound, I feel cooler and more of a horological connoisseur wearing this watch which either says a lot of terrible things about me (and my psyche) or loads of great things about what HTD accomplished with this release. And that would be of providing an equally satisfying and luxurious watch experience for $1,600 USD than one would dishing out $8,000 on an Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch, whether or not that’s what HTD was going for. 

Conclusion 

HTD is an Italian micro/independent brand founded in 2020 which is celebrating five years of being in business (this year, of course) by releasing two incredible watches: the Hesagrah MKII Variante B and Cannoli. Either model will give you a lot of incredible value for your money and even more so when looking at this collection from aesthetic and emotional standpoints. Besides its incredible specs—a Swiss made Sellita SW510M caliber, a sapphire crystal, and a well-proportioned case—the Hesaprah comes with the classic looks of classic full-fledged mechanical chronographs whilst being a functional timekeeping device which is legible during the day and at night. Both models are currently available for purchase on the brand’s website. 

Thanks for reading.